Beer Review: B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher

Reviewing the B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout from Hoppin' Frog Brewery. BeerAdvocate lists this one as a Russian Imperial Stout. I've cross-tagged it below as an Imperial Stout, Russian Imperial Stout and Oatmeal Stout just to cover all my bases.
Score: 94

Unknown vintage bottle, purchased Thanksgiving weekend in 2011. Served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed 01/18/12.

Appearance: Pours a jet black, motor oil color. Completely opaque. Quarter finger of darker brown/khaki colored head that quickly settles into a ring around the glass. Pretty good lacing for a 9.4% ABV beer. 4.5/5

Smell: Lots of mellow, but sweet raisin/fig/dark fruit and milk chocolate upfront. A little earthy nuttiness too. Behind the raisins and milk chocolate is freshly cooked oatmeal and toasted oats. You can tell this is going to be a sweeter stout from the aroma. Tons of classic Russian Imperial Stout flavors here, but they are more mellowed out rather than in-your-face. 4.5/5

Taste: Sweet, roasted chocolate and raisin throughout, but not as sweet of a stout as anticipated from the aroma. Certainly nowhere near as sweet as the Baller Stout. Raw/bitter dark chocolate on the midpalate and in the finish. Some toasted oat on the midpalate too, though the oat characteristics are much more subdued than they were in the aroma. Finish is sweet dark fruit and bitter chocolate. As the beer layers, a little tobacco/leather comes out in the finish. The level of sweetness in the beer also gradually grows as the beer layers, with increasing amounts of raisins, but it never gets overly sweet. Absolute no alcohol presence in the taste. The finish really lingers on this beer and is quite superb. Some 30 seconds after my last sip I am still tasting residual raw chocolate and raisin. Yum! 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, light-medium carbonation. Very viscous, chewy mouthfeel. Finish is sweet and sticky. Perfect mouthfeel for a Russian Imperial Stout. 5/5

Overall: After drinking this brew, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a Russian Imperial Stout. Some of the 4.5's in my review are "soft" 4.5's because they are really 4.3's and I do not do quarter step ratings. B.O.R.I.S. is one of the better beers that I have had in the style, though it is on the sweeter end for an imperial stout. I prefer the original version (this brew) to either D.O.R.I.S. or Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. If you have not yet had this beer, I highly recommend seeking it out.

Recommendation: A great starter Russian Imperial Stout for casual beer drinkers, and a must try brew for beer geeks.

Pairings: Creamy French vanilla ice cream (maybe even a sundae with nuts).

Cost: $9.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.